


Firestarter

by viotski



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Bigger Hogwarts, Dark, F/M, First War with Voldemort, Harry is a Little Shit, Harry is strong but not insanely powerful, Hogwarts, Hogwarts Sixth Year, M/M, Marauders Era (Harry Potter), Politics, Prophecy, Slow Burn, Time Travel, Time Turner (Harry Potter), Wandless Magic, alternative universe, minor canon characters - Freeform, pottermore canon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-10
Updated: 2021-01-06
Packaged: 2021-03-06 03:35:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,986
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25826773
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/viotski/pseuds/viotski
Summary: During the battle in the Department of Mystery Neville's spell hit the wrong target. Harry found himself exactly twenty years in the past - at the height of the First Wizarding War.Now Harry needs to find a way to go back to his time in order to defeat Voldemort, however with series of gruesome murders, desire to learn the ancient magic and new friends his journey back might be slightly delayed.
Relationships: James Potter & Lily Evans Potter, Sirius Black/Harry Potter
Comments: 13
Kudos: 242





	1. The Arrival

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading my first fic! I had this idea for a while but never enough courage to write it down.
> 
> While I live in UK, English isn't my first language therefore please forgive me for the occasional clumsiness :)
> 
> The first chapter is quite slow, sorry about that!

_“EXPELLIARMUS !”_

Harry felt the wand slipping away towards the door. He hastily had got to his feet and lunged forward, determined to at least interrupt the Death Eater before it was too late. Behind Neville shouted, urging him to move out of the way, but Harry needed just a small push. The Death Eater grabbed his wand and was turning for Harry when Neville yelled _“STUPEFY !”_. The man lazily dodged his spell. Grateful for this moment of distraction, Harry jumped towards his wand and grabbed it, sliding ahead to collide with the wall.

Glancing behind he saw the Death Eater now standing between him and Neville, slowly raising his wand at Harry. Not wasting any time, Neville yelled again _“STUPEFY !”_ which was followed by the Death Eater’s sleek _“Avada Kedavra”_. Red light hit a glass-fronted cabinet above Harry, while the jade beam traveled towards him. He closed his eyes and felt an unpleasant tingle in the stomach.

*** * ***

Death. Death was surprisingly painless. Painless and quiet. He wondered if it was supposed to be so warm? Curious Harry took a small peek and saw an old clock. A clock? Looking around the room there were many of them in various shapes and sizes. Harry took a step back, hitting something hard with his head. Glancing behind he saw the same glass-fronted cabinet with few, odd hourglasses. So he was still in the Department of Mysteries, but where were Neville and Hermione? Where was the Death Eater? What happened to Ron, Ginny and Luna? The cloak under his shirt was uncomfortably hot. Pulling out and then throwing the cloak over himself, Harry patted his right pocket. The mysterious orb was still there. He readied the wand and opened the heavy door, entering the Hall of Prophecy. But what he saw shocked him.

He expected to see the pieces of glass scattered around, destroyed shelves barely hanging by the hinges, spells flying around. But no, the hall was just immaculate. With an unpleasant feeling in his stomach Harry passed many dusty shelves, listening for Ron or Hermione’s voice. He stopped at row 97. Nothing. There was no sign of the previous fight..

“... and this time make sure to put it under W,” a distant voice said. “We can’t have Fawley wasting another day looking for it.”

He turned quickly on his feet. As a short man appeared from the corner carrying a box. Harry flattened himself against the shelf hoping to stay undetected. He did not recognise him as one of the Death Eaters but his wand was ready. Thinking hard Harry stared at the approaching man. Maybe he really was still alive? The man seemed to be completely unaware of Harry’s presence, and he really doubted that the Cloak of Invisibility would have worked in the afterlife. Harry glanced at his hand, it did not look even remotely silver or translucent. Well, not a ghost either. Glad he did not have to eat rotten with the Bloody Baron, Harry moved towards the wizard .

“What?” the man grumbled but did not move. Satisfied Harry silently stepped back. If the wizard was able to feel that light pat, Harry was certainly alive. Not wanting to cause any more chaos he started walking towards the entrance. Feeling better he smiled, the Ministry of Magic made a poor afterlife. He glanced back at the man, who was now looking around with a confused look on his face. Welcomed again by the sight of many, strange clocks, Harry turned towards the cabinet on the wall to investigate it. He remembered seeing Neville’s spell hit it. The glass front should have been shattered, but it looked perfectly fine, so did the few hourglasses. His eyes landed at the small, golden one on the left. It looked very familiar...

His eyes widened. ' _Of course_ ,' he thought, ' _The hourglasses'_. How could he forget? A couple of years ago Hermione used this very same time-turner to help him save Sirius and Buckbeak. Glancing again at the cabinet Harry felt like he solved a big mystery. The time-turner must have activated with Neville’s spell, just before the Death Eater hit him with Avada Kedavra. 

Relieved Harry tried to remember what was the time travel limit. Hermione mentioned something about time-travel being unstable and only limited to a few hours. He looked at his watch, it showed 5:30 pm. 

“Few hours,” he muttered. So he traveled in time and had at least four hours before his future self reaches the telephone box. It probably was more than enough to warn others about the trap. _Or tell Sirius_. His summer journey with Mr Weasley took him less than an hour, Grimmauld Place was only a few stations away from the Ministry of Magic.

Now with a plan in mind Harry hurried away, leaving the ticking noise of many clocks behind. Once again found himself in the black room with many doors. And once again he felt lost. Thinking hard, trying to remember Hermione’s spell Harry jumped when the door on the left opened, filling the room with a yellow light. A witch with a tall hat stepped in, carrying an old book. Without thinking Harry decided to closely follow her, hoping she would lead him to the right door. Luckily for him she did. Sliding through the door Harry was back on the Level Nine corridor. Waiting for the woman and her hat to disappear in the lift, Harry also made sure he was fully concealed by the cloak. Considering his current status, it would be a really bad idea for anyone at the ministry to see him. A VERY bad idea. The down button called an empty lift and the golden gates opened. Pushing **_8 - The Atrium_ ** Harry stood in the corner, trying to take as little space as possible. The lift started to move, and he silently prayed for no one to come. After a brief moment the lift started to slow and a cool female voice above announced “Level eight, The Atrium”.

Harry stepped out just as several owls flew into the lift behind. Crossing the tall, golden gates he saw the familiar large hall filled with people. There were many witches and wizards departing through gilded fireplaces, and even more patiently queuing on the left. The dark floor reflected the many flicking candle lights, making it look alive. The golden Fountain of Magical Brethren shined in the middle, with the wizard and witch standing tall in the adoring gaze of the centaur, goblin and elf. A couple of witches crossed Harry’s path.

“I need to see Marcus tomorrow. This whole ordeal is just ridiculous,” complained the middle-aged witch over the catering noise. “My gramophone is perfectly safe.”

“How long has it been? Four months?” asked the younger woman with a pink scarf.

“Nine!” glowered the other. “Can you imagine? Nine months? At this rate I'll get it back in 1986!...” she carried on. Her friend was making sympathetic noises but Harry tuned out.

Harry stopped. What did she mean by 1986? Something hit his shoulder. On his left a large man looked right through him massaging his arm. Harry hurried away to avoid more accidents towards the end of the hall. He stopped right in front of the much smaller, red lift. The gate shut automatically as he touched the dial and the lift trembled up.

“Thank you for visiting the Ministry of Magic and have a pleasant evening,” the cold voice announced for the last time as Harry’s eyes adjusted to the light.

Still hearing the witch’s words, he pulled the cloak and ran to the right, towards a busier street. Then he stopped. And just starred. Stared at the few cars. _They were old_. Harry remembered seeing similar cars in dated movies. Long, baby blue Fords, mustard yellow Austins, sickly brown Chryslers driving on the road. 

“Are you alright, my love?” a warm voice above asked. Harry realised that in shock he must have sat on the pavement. The older lady was looking at him with a concerned face.

“I-i’m fine,” his voice trembled. After a moment he spoke “Would you mind telling me what’s the date today?”.

“It’s 30th of August, my love,” the lady gave him a warm smile and added, “Monday.”

“What year?” this earned Harry a funny look but he did not care. He had to know.

“1976 of course” the shock must have shown on his face since she moved closer. 

Trying to act normal Harry got up and thanked the lady, hurrying away to the alley he came from. His brain was working fast. It was 1976, not 1996, not 1986. It was 1976. The time-turner did not take him a few hours in the past. No. He did a whole twenty freaking years! Four years before he was even born. Harry wondered what he should do. He did not fancy being arrested by the Ministry of Magic for breaking into the Department of Mysteries, so that was not an option. Neither was the Grimmauld Place, it was not a part of the Order. Also, meeting the even crazier version of Mrs Black was not very high on his priority list. 

He sighed with resignation. The only people he knew and able to help were Professor McGonagall and Professor Dumbledore. He really did not want to see Dumbledore. He was actively avoiding Harry the entire year. He _really_ did not want to see him. Also, how would Dumbledore react to the bizarre story told by a teenager he never met? Would he pull a wand on Harry? Time travel? He laughed but had no choice. Despite Dumbledore’s dislike for the future Harry it was the best chance he had. Dumbledore or the Ministry of Magic and Azkaban. He showed the cloak back under his shirt and then put his hand in the pocket that was not weighed down by the orb. Locating the coins he counted:

Three galleons and a sickle.

Already taking this route before, Harry was happy to have enough to pay for the Knight Bus to Hogsmeade. He moved to the slide of the pavement and stuck his wand in the air. With a loud THUMP the purple vehicle appeared. Relieved Harry eyed the cursive lettering **_KNIGHT BUS_ ** as the door opened.

“Welcome to the Knight Bus, emergency transport for the stranded witch or wizard. Just stick out your wand hand, step on board, and we can take you anywhere you want to go. My name is Ammot Addington, and I will be your conductor this afternoon.”

Harry looked at the guy named Ammot as he was climbing the steps. Not much older than Harry, he reminded him of a fitter Dudley. Of a Dudley that was the size of a small horse rather than a baby orca. The blonde hair was parted in the middle and small eyes looked at Harry expectedly.

“Well?”

Harry passed a galleon saying “Hogsmeade, no drink thanks.”

“What’s your name?”

“Neville,” Harry smiled. He could have a bit of harmless fun. Even if he was in a completely hopeless situation.

While Ammot was looking for a change Harry curiously eyed the driver. It was an old, dark skinned witch with a colorful turban and many rings.

With his change he chose a seat just behind the driver. Glancing around, the bus was quite empty, save for few people sitting at the back. Turning his attention back at Ammot he asked how long it will take to get to Hogsmeade. 

“We should be in Hogsmeade sometime after 10,” the conductor said. “Lucky you, it is not very busy today, even with the school year starting in a couple of days.”

“It’s not always like that?” queried Harry trying to keep the conversation going.

“Oh no dear,” answered the driver with a shrill voice. “But not many people travel these days. With this whole You-Know-Who problem and last week’s attack…”

“Ora!” interrupted Ammot. “No one wants to hear about this bloody scary business, right?” he asked, turning to Harry. The woman huffed.

“Which attack last week?” Harry betrayed Ammot. The man pursed his lips.

“Two adult wizards and their son, not far from here in Hampstead Heath. They also got some muggles. Nasty case. The boy was starting Hogwarts this year. Can you believe it? They found his he…”

“Can you stop?! I have been having nightmares about it for the past few days,” the conductor interrupted again. The woman sighed and threw Harry a copy of the _Daily Prophet_ while several trees jumped out the bus’ way.

Harry opened the paper:

**Hampstead Heath murder: the search continues.**

The aurors are still on the hunt for the killers of the married couple of muggle rights activists: Charles Greenwood, 37, his wife Susan Greenwood, 42, and their 11 year old son. On the evening of Tuesday, 24th of August, their muggle neighbours alerted the local police (muggle law enforcement) about screams coming from the house and a strange green sign above. Despite the aurors immediate arrival, they discovered the bodies of the married and two muggles. However, the real distress came with the discovery of their young son. Following an extensive search, the child’s head was found by a passing muggle in one the bathing ponds on Hampstead Heath. The North London wizarding community is shocked. The local representative Annabelle Moore, 71, commented that the last serious crime was committed in 1940, when a mad wizard blew up his family home during a muggle event called ‘the Blitz’. With two different teams dedicated to the case, the Ministry spokesman Edward Fleming, 48, confirmed that the attack was perpetuated by the Death Eaters. He urged anyone who sees the Dark Mark to keep their distance and contact the Ministry of Magic immediately. 

Feeling slightly sick Harry stared at the big, bright skull hanging above an old house. Realising that this fear is exactly what Moody meant when he told Harry about the First Wizarding War against Dumbledore, he started to read the _Daily Prophet_.

It was already past sunset once they reached Hogsmeade. Stopping by the inn, Harry was glad to be leaving the bus. After saying his good nights he looked up to see familiar wobbly letters: **_The Three Broomsticks_**. A pleasant smokey smell filled his nose as he stepped inside. A couple of patrons were drinking at the cosy bar while the younger version of Madam Rosmerta was just closing a small window next to the fireplace. She turned around to the new customer and gave Harry a friendly smile hurrying towards him.

“Hel..” he started when Madam Rosmerta interrupted him.

“James Potter? Oh dear, what are you doing here? The school year hasn’t started yet,” Harry mentally slapped himself. Of course! She knew his father and Sirius very well, the memory of being hurled under the table, hiding from Fudge appeared. He decided to play along. If he was Neville, he could be James too.

“Umm… Yeah… I’m here to see Professor Dumbledore,” Harry started with confidence. 

“Are you in trouble again?” she asked suspiciously.

“No! Nothing like that!” said Harry crossing fingers in his pocket and slightly changing the subject. "It’s just I haven’t seen my owl and need to contact him. I forgot my letter and now don’t know how to get to Hogwarts,” he tried to look hopeless while Madam Rosmerta was still eyeing him. “Can I rent a room tonight? I don’t want to worry my dad.”

“We have a discount for Hogwarts students, and you can use my owl tomorrow morning. Higgy could use some work.” 

Ron would have been proud. Hardly believing his luck Harry followed her upstairs to a small room at the end of the corridor. A single bed stood in the corner, while sink and mirror were next to the oddly shaped window. Madam Rosmerta took a galleon from Harry, who paid extra for the dinner and breakfast. Shortly after the patroness came with a hot chicken and mushroom pie and tea, wishing him goodnight. After changing into his new pyjamas, Harry made mental note to somehow take a picture of Madam Rosmerta for Ron. Then he fell asleep.

*******

The sunlight woke Harry up, confused he looked around the room to quickly remember what happened the previous day. Groaning he fell back on the bed, contemplating several different ways of killing himself, trying very hard to not to worry about his friends. He really hoped they were ok. He put them in an unnecessary danger just because Voldemort managed to fool him. Feeling worse by every minute, Harry got up to brush his teeth with the toothbrush left on a sink, and then used the towel to freshen up. Looking almost presentable, he strolled down the wooden stairs into the main hall. Few colorful witches were sitting in a corner eating breakfast but otherwise the inn was empty. 

True to her word Madam Rosmerta let Harry borrow her owl called Higgy and a piece of parchment. Higgy was a small bird with a long beak and only one leg. Madam Rosmerta explained that she had a run with a nasty kneazle and now is only used for local deliveries.

Stabbing his sausage Harry was thinking on how to formulate the letter to Professor Dumbledore. In this timeline they have never met. Can he introduce himself as a Potter? Shall he describe his problem first? He did not want to sound too forthcoming but the situation was very urgent. Taking a deep breath he started.

_Dear Professor Dumbledore_

_I hope this letter finds you well._

_I am a fifth-year student at Hogwarts. Unfortunately, I found myself in a very dangerous situation,_

_and I believe you are the only person who can help me. Can I meet you today at Hogwarts? I am staying at the Three Broomsticks._

_H. J. P._

Not very much satisfied Harry attached the short note to Higgy’s leg. He really hoped that Dumbledore was at Hogwarts. And that he would not ignore Harry’s letter. He was certain that Dumbledore could solve anything. He probably already has fifty different spells that could send Harry home. The sooner the better, he did not want to think how many people would remember him. Harry promised himself to tell Hermione he spent the entire time hidden under his Cloak of Invisibility. Ignoring the tingling sensation around his eyes Harry walked back to his room. He really hoped his friends were safe.

A couple of hours later he heard a single knock and Madam Rosmerta’s voice.

“James dear, professor Dumbledore is here to see you”

Jumping off the bed Harry hurried towards the door and opened it. He was welcomed by a pair of blue eyes and a purple robe. Tall professor Dumbledore looked slightly younger, but his white long beard, half-moon glasses and a crooked nose were the same. Harry stepped back to let the old man, who was now studying him curiously, enter the room. 

“Good morning, James?” said Dumbledore with a small smile, like if he just heard a funny joke. Harry shivered and not meeting his eyes, he answered.

“About that… Actually my name is Harry,” 

“Good morning Harry. Perhaps it might be best to clear that with Madam Rosmerta, she believes you are someone else,” said Dumbledore. “I must say, it is rather unusual to receive such an urgent letter from one of our students,” he paused and then continued. “Dare I say I don't recall seeing you in the castle before.”

Feeling uncomfortable Harry gestured towards a wooden chair inviting Dumbledore to sit. The Professor glanced at the misty orb on the bedside table with a strange look on his face. Ignoring a small pressure in his head Harry began.

“Well, I go to Hogwarts but… But not this Hogwarts. I-i am from the future,” said Harry sheepishly. “Twenty years in the future!”.

Dumbledore’s slightly eyes widened. Swallowing Harry decided to tell him everything.

“I am from 1996. I was in the Department of Mystery when a cabinet full of time-turners crashed on me and…” he waved his arm around. “ I’m here.”

“Harry, what events lead you to being hit by functional time-turners?” Dumbledore asked after a long pause.

“Ne — I mean my friend hit the cabinet with Stupefy,” explained Harry slightly panicking. He was also very much surprised that Dumbledore seemed to believe him!

“Were there any other spells involved, perhaps you or your friend previously cast Adcumulo on each other? Have you drunk any potions in the past seven days?” queried Dumbledore.

“No — yes. I thought a killing spell got me, that Death Ea...” Harry stopped. “Can you send me home? I must go home.”

Harry was thinking about Fudge and Umbridge. Is there a way to get back without alerting them? Dumbledore looked incredibly serious, his piercing blue eyes moved from Harry’s face to his forehead. His scar. The pressure in his head intensified. Pausing, Dumbledore once again met Harry’s gaze and said quietly.

“I am afraid this is a tremendously complicated matter, my boy. As brutal as it is to say, the time magic is a highly unstable branch of magic. However,” Dumbledore added seeing a panicked look on Harry’s face. “There might be a way to bring you back to your timeline. I hope it is not too forward to ask you to show me what happened”. 

Harry shook his head and whispered “Pensive?”

“Yes, a pensive. Perhaps, it is safe to assume you have used it before?”

‘With you!’ thought Harry and nodded.

“If you don’t mind Harry, I have one more question,” said Dumbledore. “Please forgive my impertinence, but is it correct to presume that it might not be safe for you to contact the Ministry of Magic?”

Harry held his gaze. He did not think the current Ministry of Magic would be particularly understanding considering their future history. It was almost certain that they would ask questions, and sneaking into the Department of Mysteries after being the public enemy number one would hardly do him any favours. And the future Fudge. Well, Fudge would love to throw him into Azkaban. Harry wondered if Voldemort would be nice enough to break him out like he did with Bellatrix?

“Correct,” answered Harry truthfully.

“Well then dear Harry, it is time for us to return to Hogwarts and uncover the further mystery that is your sudden appearance.”


	2. Mr Talbot

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry's back at Hogwarts

With the prophecy weighting his right pocket and the cloak under his shirt Harry followed Dumbledore downstairs. The professor thanked Madam Rosmerta for looking after Harry and then nodded at him to keep on going. Opening the big, wooden door Harry felt the sudden gush of warm air and saw a couple of owls flying right into the owl office. Further away, a twisted house with many colorful windows was spitting yellow smoke out of its tall chimney, forming the familiar words: **Zonko’s Joke Shop**. On Harry’s right the Honeyduke’s seemed particularly busy with the squeaky door closing and opening every few seconds and people lazily trotting around. As always, the glass font displayed many different types of sweets, he was particularly interested in a tiny blue Ford. Tearing his eyes away he looked at Dumbledore who was smiling at him.

“Shall we go?” the Headmaster asked.

Harry nodded and they were back on the ancient lane leading to the school. 

“The Honeyduke’s is an excellent place if one has a sweet tooth,” started Dumbledore. “Last year my dear friend Elias Doge recommended I try their new Cockroach Clusters. Needless to say while the chocolate was excellent, I believe our Caretaker was rather displeased,” he chuckled.

“My friend wanted to buy me some in my third year when I wasn’t allowed to leave the castle, glad he didn't.” said Harry.

“What a wonderful friend you have.”

“He is great. We met on the train to school, he was with me when…” Harry trailed off with a sting in his chest.

“Good friends are not easy to find,” said Dumbledore warmly. “Have you ever heard of muggle sweets called sherbet lemons?”

“My aunt has some at her house” said Harry, glad for the change of subject.

The heat was intensifying while they continued on the shaded path nearing the thick walls. From the distance Harry spotted the gates supported by two tall pillars. On a top of the gates the iron winged boars were staring at both visitors. Dumbledore tapped his wand on the padlock and the chains slithered down. 

“Keeps intruders away,” explained Dumbledore. “We will go to my office. In case if we stumble upon some fortunate soul, please introduce yourself as Harry. You mustn’t mention your surname.”

“Yes professor,” said Harry longingly looking at Hagrid’s hut in the distance.

Now walking up the slope Harry kept his eyes on the castle. The majestic building was situated on top of a cliff, mocking the cold lake below. Dark grey walls were marked with ivy and moss, many tall towers with small windows were looking down at them. Hogwarts. 

“Welcome back,” said Dumbledore as he opened the huge oak door.

The entrance hall was much cooler, the candle lights flickered high on the ceiling between the generously decorated gobelins. Dumbledore turned right and they entered one of the long corridors leading to wooden stairs and later the massive Grand Staircase. The tall hall was filled with portraits, well from the ground to its ceiling, curiously observing the pair as they climbed the many stairs, right to the seventh floor. Dumbledore didn't even break a sweat.

The Headmaster’s office was located in a short corridor, just around the corner from where the Headless Nick and Justin Finch-Fletchely were found petrified in his second year. Soon enough the couple of hideous gargoyle jumped away and the wall split in half as Dumbledore approached, uncovering the smooth spiral staircase. 

They entered the office upstairs. Harry looked around curiously, the beautiful oval room was different from what he remembered. Yes, it still had many silver strange looking instruments puffing a white smoke and Fawkes the Phoenix napping under his wing. But while the portraits of previous headmasters were loudly snoring (he saw one tiny wizard dribbling on his robe), the space seemed a bit empty, lacking the clutter of many old old books and cabinets. Professor Dumbledore strolled behind his desk and pointed at the chair across him.

“Please Harry, sit down,” he said. “May I offer you a drink?”

With a wave of his wand two glasses filled with orange liquor appeared. With a quick thanks Harry drank his glass. He was so thirsty! Dumbledore waited for him to finish and then carried.

“Continuing our previous conversation Harry, the time magic is not a particularly well researched brand of magic. Well, not yet. And most likely won't be for a while. There are a lot of unknowns and, dreadfully, the previous experiments had rather tragic consequences.”

“Tragic?” asked Harry, putting down the glass. He already knew to not to mess with the time, Hermione made sure to drill this into his head. Several times. Unless it's your godfather and an innocent hippogriff.

“Perhaps it might be better dear boy, if you shared what you know about time travel,” said Dumbledore with an encouraging smile.

“Well,” started Harry. “I… I don’t really know much. It was Hermio — it was my friend who had a time-turner once, in her third year. We used it. S-she said something about only being able to go back a few hours in time. And that you mustn’t be seen by your past self."

“That’s correct, however I’m afraid there’s more to it,” agreed Dumbledore. “You see Harry, time-turners are not a particularly new invention. Wizards have been exploring time magic since the 1860s. Previously time-turners have had no limit on how far you can travel, which lead to a catastrophic event.”

“What happened?,” asked Harry.

“When I was not much older than you, an incredibly gifted witch, Madam Eloise Mintumble, travelled to the year 1402 and overstayed her welcome. It had taken the Ministry of Magic several months to rescue her, but once they did, a disaster happened. While she only spent five days in the past, upon her return Eloise immediately aged over five hundred years. Remorsefully she couldn’t be saved. Furthermore, despite her best efforts to stay concealed, that short, five days period resulted in over twenty-five witches and wizards disappearing in the present time. The Ministry Officials discovered that all of them were descendants of people she met during her brief visit in the past,” explained Dumbledore. He stood up.

“Now, it is time for us to make use of my Pensieve,” he said, walking towards a black cabinet next to the office entrance, nodding at Harry to follow him. “In order to do so you must focus on the memory you want to show me.”

Dumbledore placed the shallow basin on his desk. The silver light casted speckles on the walls and reflected off his hair. Few headmasters peeked curiously at them.

“Harry, please show me what happened at the Ministry of Magic,” he asked. "Touch your temple with your wand while thinking about yesterday. Then flick the memory into this pensive"

Harry nodded and brought his wand, lightly touching the skin between the messy locks on the side of his head. And focused. Thinking hard about what happened he pulled the wand to find the same silvery substance at the tip. Slowly guiding the memory he watched the small waves as it touched the Pensieve. The liquid turned dark and restless.

“After you,” he heard Dumbledore’s voice and bent closer, touching the strange substance with his nose.

With a quick pull Harry was now standing in the Department of Mysteries, Dumbledore appeared just as he saw his past self sliding towards the glass cabinet...

He saw Hermione struggling under the desk and Neville nervously reading his wand. This time his  _ Stupefy _ hit the time-turners that fell on Harry exactly when the green light hit him in the stomach. Hermione yelled and suddenly disappeared. A moment later it was just the past Harry alone. Standing with his eyes closed shut. Felling a small tug and spinning around, Harry found himself back in Dumbledore’s office. They looked at each other not saying anything.

“Interesting. Very interesting,” Dumbledore broke the silence. “Harry, do you feel any pain? Perhaps a slight discomfort where the spell hit you?”

“No, why?” Harry started to wonder if he was actually immune to Avada Kedavra. He lived, twice.

“Just a thought. Please sit down,”. Dumbledore clenched his hands together looking at the pensive “I’m afraid it might take us a while to find your way back home. There are several inquiries I must make and a few favours to ask... In the meantime I would like to offer you a place at Hogwarts.”

“Y-you mean stay here?”

“Yes, for the time being,” said Dumbledore. “I cannot guarantee your safety outside the castle’s walls. Furthermore, I dare to presume based on your recent memory, Voldemort is not a friend of yours. It will be easier to work together if you are here, while you can continue your education.”

Stunned Harry kept quiet. After a short break Dumbledore queried.

“Did you finish your fifth year, Harry?”

“Not yet. I have like one month to go. I am still doing my O.W.L.S.”

“We can work around that,“ smiled Dumbledore. “What subjects were you planning to continue in your sixth year?”

“I want to be an Auror,” confessed Harry. “I was going to take Charms, Defence Against the Dark Arts, Herbology, Potions and Transfiguration.”

“I see,” said Dumbledore. “I see. If I may, have you considered the Ancient Studies?”

“Erm, what is it?”

“Ancient Studies focuses on a more independent kind of magic that doesn’t require the use of wand to channel it. This magic is commonly referred to as Ancient Magic,” Dumbledore started to explain. “ Before European wizards came up with wands, this was the way we casted spells. It is an extremely old branch of magic, but also the purest of them all, most commonly triggered by strong emotions. Remarkably, it is usually the young, muggleborn wizard and witches that tend to manifest it.”

_ Hermione will have a heart attack once she hears about it _ thought Harry. He remembered that she tried to enroll into some obscure classes but they were cancelled due to the lack of demand. Ancient studies indeed seemed interesting and if Dumbledore was recommending the class Harry would be a fool to not to listen to him. After all, he was already dropping two subjects anyway. And maybe knowing how to change people's wig blue on command, especially if it belonged to a nasty muggle teacher could be useful. He nodded.

“Excellent.” Dumbledore smiled. “Now let’s discuss your current situation. As we are both aware, being from the future means that you might see few familiar faces. One of them being your father.”

“My wha…” Harry gasped looking at Dumbledore, who was just nonchalantly brushing dust from his sleeve. “How did you...?”

“Dear boy,” said Dumbledore shaking his head, his long, silver beard moving. “You look remarkably like your father. Madam Rosmerta was certain that James Potter was planning to once again prank her precious inn. I daresay she was quite relieved to see 'James' leave.”

The headmaster chuckled when Harry was staring at him dumbfounded. He didn’t even think that Dumbledore would figure it out so soon!

“While positively amusing, this also means you need to proceed with caution.” continued Dumbledore ignoring Harry’s stare. “I will not attempt to change the way you look: semi-permanent human transfiguration is extremely dangerous and the Pollyjuice Potion is not a good long-term solution.”

“What can we do then?”

“Although rare, it is not unheard of for distant relatives to look rather alike.” explained Dumbledore watching Hawkes. "Also, most wizards are not interested in the muggle world, very few read muggle newspapers and even fewer follow their science. Which is rather disappointing. However, this can work for us with the help of several well crafted stories.”

Harry remembered how superstitious many wizarding families were. Mrs Weasly insisted on cutting Harry’s hair when the moon is waxing to ‘bring him luck’. For a week Seamus was going on about so-called Banshee’s Comb, which was only stopped by Dean who threatened to get one if he does not shut up.

“I know I can’t say I’m Harry Potter, but who am I then?”

“Well, for once it is easier to tell half-truths rather than lies,” said Dumbledore. “You mentioned that you had an aunt, is she a muggle?...”

***

An hour later Harry was walking down the stairs leading to the kitchen. Dumbledore advised him to avoid the Great Hall until he speaks to Harry’s other teachers and makes them aware of the ‘new student’. Taking a shortcut through one of the many portraits Harry was trying to remember the story that he agreed on with Dumbledore. Skipping a few steps he repeated the name a few times to make it sound more natural:  _ Harry Talbot. _ The previously homeschooled wizard from Woking. Dumbledore suggested he choses a place that he is more familiar with, aunt Petunia used to frequently drag Harry to Woking’s Morrisons and make him push the heavy trolley overloaded with Dudley’s sweets. Harry’s mother died in an ordinary muggle car accident this summer, forcing him to enroll at Hogwarts. Dumbledore said that he will speak to the Ministry of Magic to ensure that Harry becomes a registered wizard.

Stopping in a wide corridor Harry tickled the picture of the pear, uncovering the entrance to Hogwarts' amazing kitchen. Or as Fred and George used to call it, one of Hogwarts seven wonders.

The kitchen was situated right below the Great Hall. Many pots and pans were hanging from the wall, reflecting the warm light of a dozen fireplaces. Despite not having many people in the castle, the House-Elves were bustling around, prepping many grand meals for tomorrow’s feast. As Harry started to walk towards one of the four tables, an elf with a budding nose noticed him.

“Sir, what can Dundy do for you?” he asked eagerly.

“Err… I’m just hungry. Can I have some sandwich and pumpkin juice?” Harry requested. Dundy the elf disappeared to come back a few minutes later with a mountain of several different sandwiches, forcing Harry to eat more than he thought he was physically able to. After satisfying his hunger and low-key being scared of turning into Dudley, he left the hall, but not before several elves filled his pockets with snacks.

Now, once again standing in front of the painted picture of the gigantic fruit basket Harry wondered what he should do next. He wasn’t sure if he was allowed to go to the Gryffindor common room, visiting Hagrid probably was not a good idea either. 

“Mr Talbot, may I have a word please?”

A familiar voice put a stop to Harry’s dilemma. Professor McGonagall was strolling towards Harry, her emerald green robes waving behind. She looked younger but still wearing her tall hat and dark hair in a tight bun. 

“I am Professor Minerva McGonagall and the deputy Headmistress,” she introduced herself offering Harry her hand. He shook it. “The Headmaster explained your situation as a new student. Some arrangements have been agreed already with the Ministry of Magic. Some others not yet. Please follow me”

Not uttering a word Harry followed Professor McGonagall. Pretending to not notice his shyness, Professor McGonagall started to explain the education at Hogwarts.

“Hogwarts was established by four of the greatest witches and wizards of their time: Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Salazar Slytherin. All students are divided into four Houses named after each funder. Each house has a long history…”

McGonagall kept on talking until they reached her office. Following her through the door Harry found himself in a familiar room decorated with many tartan plaids, and the glorious Quidditch cup above the fireplace. Harry took a seat across her desk, which was usually covered with stacks of different essays. At least this time he wasn't going to get a detention.

“Professor Dumbledore explained that you already decided on which subjects to take this year. I teach Transfiguration for the sixth years and was ensured your skills are at the adequate level. I am hoping to see you in my class on Thursday, “ McGonagall smiled.

“As I previously explained, all students are sorted to one of the four Houses. This would always happen on their first day at Hogwarts in front of the whole student body during the so-called Sorting Ceremony. However, as an older student who arrived at the castle earlier, we will do it now to spare you the awkwardness.” She said kindly and pulled a very old and patchy looking hat.

“This is the Sorting Hat, it will decide which house you belong to. Please put it on.”

Feeling slightly uneasy he was handed the dirty hat, last time the damned thing insisted he belonged to Slytherin. And just like the last time the hat dropped over his eyes.

“Well, who do we have here?” he heard a whisper in his head. “I see… You are a traveler. How did you manage to come here? Nevermind, it is not for me to ask. Hmm... Difficult. _Very difficult_.”

“You said it last time!” thought Harry.

“And I am always right. You are brave, incredibly heroic. Sharp, quick on your feet. And trouble… I see a great deal of trouble in your past, mostly self-inflicted! Also this thirst for power, you want to be stronger.”

“I need to protect my friends!”

“Yes, but is that it? Don’t you want to be great? You already tasted the greatness, you proved yourself in the past and yearn to do it again. There’s still that untapped potential in you.”

“Not Slytherin, come on.” begged Harry.

“Still not Slytherin?” the hat chuckled “I still stand by what I said but let it be. You did well in Gryffindor, so let it be again. GRYFFINDOR!”

Relieved Harry passed on the hat to Professor McGonagall who had a small smile playing on her lips.

“Well Mr Tablot. I welcome you to my house. We are happy to have you join us.” she said warmly, “Now let me show you your home for the next ten months.”

***

Freshly showered Harry lied on his bed in the dormitory room, the afternoon sun was still shining brightly through the windows. An open trunk with used school robes and books was just next to the nightstand. Professor McGonagall took care of organising clothes and some essentials from Hogwarts student fund. She told him he will share the dormitory with four other boys - Harry was pretty certain who those are. He felt both excited and nervous at the idea of meeting his father, still alive Sirius and young Remus. The only memory of them he had, belonged to Snape. And that was a rather horrible... 

Harry continued to wonder if the marauders were like Dudley. He saw through Snape’s eyes they were capable of, he also knew exactly what kind of treacherous rat Pettigrew turned out to be, just mere a few years from now. The tattered Herbology book fell off the bed. Being friends with his dad meant being friends with Pettigrew. So he had to make an effort.

Wrinkling his nose Harry picked up the poor book and started to browse, thinking about the elaborate backstory that him and Dumbledore came up with.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for making this chapter so dialogue heavy! The time travel and Eloise are canon, quite a grim story!
> 
> Also, in the next one we will finally meet the other students!


	3. The Feast

Harry felt sick. He spent the entire day circling between excitement and the overwhelming nervousness at the idea of seeing his dad and Sirius. He never met his dad before. It was only in the third year when he heard his dad’s voice for the first time. His yearn to hear it again and again made learning the Patronus Charm a challenge - half of the time he was not sure if he even wanted the ‘dementor’ to stop. The only real interaction they had was a year later when James and Lily shielded him at the cemetery. But… That was James as an adult, Harry knew what a brave man his father was then, however, now? Now was only several months after the O.W.L.S.

And Sirius? Harry was curious about _this_ Sirius, the person that never had to see his friends betray each other, never had to deal with the guilt of his best friend’s murder, wasn't forced to spend twelve years rotting in Azkaban for the crime he never committed.

Harry tried to flatten his hair. Even though Dumbledore assured him that the twin-like similarity between Harry and James will not be a problem, he still felt uneasy. He already got used to people staring at him and whispering, but he would rather avoid the uncomfortable questions about his appearance.

Harry looked around the room for the hundredth time, he still had the Cloak of Invisibility, now rolled on the bed, and the ministry’s orb, both being kept secret from Dumbledore. He was not sure if he could trust him, he still resented the Headmaster for avoiding him the entire school year. Hary crumpled the silky material between his fingers and froze. The usual coolness was replaced by unnatural heat. It felt wrong. Very wrong.

He hastily grabbed the Cloak to inspect it, fingers following the warmth. Harry gazed over the cloth, stopping at the dark spot. Whispering a quiet _Lumos_ , he studied the material, the burn-like shape looked odd, almost sinister.

Panicking, he pulled the warm Cloak over his head and ran towards the mirror.

“What…?”

A pair of panicked green eyes were staring back at him. He was no longer invisible! Or, more precisely, he was partially visible? Looking closer Harry traced the burn, now clearly visible in the mirror, from his shoulder. The damage seemed rather small, but it looked like the affected area extended beyond it, hiding most of the cloth itself but not the wearer.

Shaking hands pulled the cloth, he could always try repairing it, right? Looking back at his pale face, pale enough to be able to count the few freckles he had, Harry decided to try his luck.

Twisting his wand he murmured “ _Reparo_ ” praying that it would work. Nothing.

“Come on. _Reparo! "_ Still nothing.

 _"Reparo!_ Please! _REPARO!_ ” he shouted frantically waving his wand. To no use.

Frustrated he threw the Cloak. It was his most precious treasure, the only thing he had of his family, of the Potters. Losing the Cloak was just like losing an old friend, a friend that you know you could always rely on. It saved him, Ron and Hermione so many times throughout the years, and now, it was gone. Just like that. Only because he decided to drag everyone to the Ministry. Even if he makes it back, how is he going to save everyone without it? Wiping his eyes, Harry carefully put the Cloak back into his trunk, he will find a way to fix it, 

In a sour mood he made his way downstairs, where the Headmistress was already waiting.

“Ready?” she asked. Harry nodded and followed her through long corridors. A few hours ago Professor McGonagall explained that he will have to wait in the Great Hall for the other students to arrive.

They entered through the heavy double doors on the right, and Harry walked towards one of the four long tables, each now draped with the corresponding house colours.

The Great Hall looked magnificent, rich walls were decorated with many torches reflecting on the heavily polished stone. Over a thousand golden plates and goblets marked the four long tables, each one laying on heavily embroidered table runners. At the top of the Hall, Harry spotted the Headmaster with many other staff members some of which he recognised, such as Hagrid, who was wearing his usual fur cloak, and the small Professor Filtwick busy chatting with Professor Sprout. Their fifth table was facing the entire student body, lightened by the big windows behind. Several ghosts were scattered across the hall, some of them curiously looking at Harry through their pearly white eyes. Above his head, the enchanted ceiling was slowly turning crimson, marking the evening hour.

It wasn’t long till the main doors opened and students started to pour into the Hall, a couple of younger Ravenclaws pointed at Harry and started to whisper, but as soon as more people arrived they stopped paying him any attention. His heart skipped when he saw a glimpse of long, red hair, but it was just a short Hufflepuff pushed by a pair of grim-looking Slytherins, Harry looked closely at the boy next to them, his shoulder-length greasy hair and the waxy face were exactly like he remembered. Snape.

“How are you doing, mate?”

A deep voice interrupted Harry, he looked up and saw a stocky, darker-skinned boy sitting on a bench next to him. The boy was staring at him with a mixture of shock and amusement.

“Oh sorry, I thought you were someone else!” he apologised.

“Yeah, I've been getting that a lot in the past couple of days,” Harry smiled. “I’m Harry”

“Aj,” the boy said, shaking his hand. “I’ve never seen you before, are you new?”

Harry nodded.

“I transferred in my second year too, uncle moved to Birmingham and took us with him,” Aj continued. “Which year are you? I’m sixth.”

“Sixth. I used to live with my mum, she homeschooled me. Got my O.W.L.S in the summer, I figured Hogwarts would be better for the N.E.W.T.S.”

“I didn’t know you could do that!” another voice said, sitting next to Harry. He turned and saw a girl with a ponytail. Her eyes widened.

“Oh!” she exclaimed. “You look just like James!”

“I know, right?” said Aj. “So Harry, are you another Potter?”

“I really don’t think so.” Harry forced a fake smile, shifting uncomfortably on the bench. He looked at the faint scar on his hand, he hated lying but it was for the best, right?.

Aj gave him a look but did not push further, instead he turned to look at the heavy doors, which opened once again. Professor McGonagall came leading the first years, many of them fearfully glancing around the hall. While the new students were busy forming an orderly line, the Headmistress placed a three-legged stool and carefully put the tattered Sorting Hat on top of it. And it sang.

Semi listening to the song, Harry noticed that there were many more first years than he remembered during his time in the future. Now looking at the Hufflepuff table, then skimming to Ravenclaws and finally setting on Slytherins, each house seemed to be busier than usual. Looking closer at the end of the Slytherin table, he realised that it was also longer by quite a bit. He stopped at Snape, and caught his eyes, the boy sneered and elbowed his friend. Not wanting to antagonise them on his first day, Harry turned back to the Sorting Ceremony, a couple of fresh Gryffindors already joined their housemates.

“Harry, Lily is looking at you”

Harry followed Aj’s gaze and froze. He saw a girl with dark red hair staring at him. Her eyes, the same as Harry’s, narrowed when she saw him look back. His mum was sitting just a few students away, looking exactly like in the pictures with her wavy hair and slightly freckled face. Suddenly a thump erupted from the other side of the table, Lily turned towards the group and frowned. 

One of the golden globes was now laying at the table and the boy responsible for this noise was no other than his father. Harry looked at the face no so much different than his own, maybe slightly broader and with a longer nose, staring right back at him with a puzzled expression. Swallowing slowly he gave James a friendly smile, turning his eyes towards the other boys sitting at his side, all three of them wearing the same expression as their friend

Lupin looked healthier than what he saw in Snape’s memory, his curly locks tucked behind his ears. Wormtail, hunching forward, was fidgeting his hands and trying hard to not to meet Harry’s gaze. Sirius was eying his suspiciously, grey eyes focusing on Harry’s face, clearly not knowing what to make of the newcomer. None of the friends returned his smile.

Feeling disappointed, Harry forced himself to focus on the Sorting and put his trembling hands in the pockets, feeling the familiar cold glass of the stolen orb. He should have insisted on the Polyjuice Potion, he certainly was not making any friends tonight. 

Harry’s stomach growled, earning him a chuckle from Aj. Professor McGonagall finally hurried away with the Sorting Hat, at which the tall Headmaster rose and looked all over the student body with glistening eyes.

“Welcome back and welcome to everyone!” roared Dumbledore scanning the room. “Please fill your stomach with this magnificent food, until they are ready to burst open before we start on the serious matter!”

The appreciative applause was followed by the sudden appearance of many different, mouthwatering dishes, Harry saw Dumbledore clipping the beard to his robe in an attempt to keep it away from food.

“And that’s why I keep on coming back,” said Aj making his way towards the deliciously looking pie. “I bet you didn’t have that at home, did you Harry?”

“If I knew I’d be coming to _this_ ,” Harry grinned, glad for any kind of distraction from the murderous looks he has been getting this evening. “I would have begged my mum to send me here years ago.”

When Aj was busy with the pie, Harry shot a curious glance at Snape and his friends. They were intensely whispering and looking in his direction.

“Are you done ogling Slytherins?” Aj nudged Harry, bringing his attention back to the table. “Lily is talking to you.”

Harry nervously looked at Lily, who was still studying his face.

“Hi,” she gave him a small wave. “I’m Lily, the Gryffindor’s Perfect.”

“I’m Harry,” he said. “Gryffindor’s new student.”

Lily smiled, Harry was doing well.

“Which school did you go to before?” she asked

“Nowhere. I lived with my mum, she homeschooled me but we decided that Hogwarts is better for N.E.W.T.S.”

Harry noticed that everyone around him was listening to every word he said. Taking a small break to help himself to the roast lamb, he thought intensely about the cover story Dumbledore came up with. James, Sirius, Lupin and Wortmail were still looking at him, ready to ask questions any minute.

“Homeschooled? You must be from an old family,” Sirius started and glanced at James. “A cousin perhaps? What’s your surname?”

“Talbot,” Harry answered. “What do…”

“That’s a muggle name,” someone interrupted. It was Wormtail, Harry raised an eyebrow.

“Oh, I had no idea. Thank you,” he said sarcastically. Aj and Sirius snorted. Peter looked like he wanted to add something else, but Lupin quickly intervened.

“What year are you?” he asked politely.

“Sixth, just like Aj” Harry answered. James muttered something that sounded very much like ‘ _great_ ’.

“Is your dormitory free?” Sirius spoke up again, looking at Aj. “Balderston’s full.”

“Nope, and Galbreth moved to us after you _pranked_ him in the first year,” grinned Aj while Lily rolled her eyes. “If anything, we are too full, six beds isn't great.”

“The tosser should have known not to snore,” said Sirius. “It was just rude.”

“You are with us then,” confirmed Remus

Sirius and James exchanged looks, James looked miffed.

“I feel bad for you already,” said Lily sympathetically. 

“Don’t worry, we could always kick Galbreth out,” said Aj.

“Not going to happen,” the blonde boy called Galbreth protested waving his hand and knocking his classmate’s hat. 

“But we miss you!” exclaimed Sirius. “You were supposed to send us a postcard!”

This earned him a chuckle from James and Sirius. Galbreth glared at Sirius and opened his mouth, but before he was able to say anything, the desserts arrived.

“I know these four seem like a handful but they really are good lads” Aj whispered to Harry. “See that badge on Remu’s chest? It’s the same as Lily’s, he is a Prefect and meant to help others. I passed last year’s DADA exam only thanks to him, I’m completely hopeless” He gave Harry a small smile.

“What about the others?” Harry asked.

“Peter is the short one. He’s alright, doesn’t talk much but if you need to get something he’s the guy.” Aj continued. “The tall one is Sirius, quite a hot-head but if you get in trouble with Slytherins, he’s the person to go to. He and your twin, James, are best friends. James is the Gryffindor’s Quidditch captain, very serious about it. Do you play?”

“Yes. I’m a decent Seeker” Harry answered.

“James!” called Aj. “Congrats on making the Quidditch Captain! How’s the team doing this year?

“Thanks,” James grinned and proudly flashed a badge with two broom pinned to his jumper. He glanced at Lily and answered. “We have a good chance this year. I spent the entire summer planning our games, Puffs lost Bogbat so they need a new Keeper. I’m planning try-outs for the Seeker and both Beaters, Buttigieg and Irene are just awful, they need to go.”

After a short pause James added.

“Have you…?”

“Never, not going to play Quidditch ever again” interrupted Aj.

“I might try,” James beamed at Sirius. “Is the Captain position open?”

James made a V sign with this hand while Sirius and Lily giggled.

“You should try. James is always bugging me to join” Aj told Harry.

Dumbledore got up once again and the silence fell all over the hall immediately.

“Now, when we are all full of this delicious food and ready to drift away forgetting about the entire world, it is the perfect time to fill your heads with a few notices,” roared Dumbledore scanning all four tables. ”Please, do remember that the Forbidden Forest remains forbidden, and anyone caught there will be facing punishment.”

Dumbledore looked at Sirius and James, who tried to maintain the facade of pure innocence, Harry chuckled.

“The village of Hogsmeade is only allowed to be visited by third-year students and above,” He continues. “As always, dueling on school corridors is forbidden, please only attempt to do so when supervised by a Professor. Now, I will no longer be holding you hostage, once again welcome back and goodnight!”

Harry quickly set off to the Dormitory, trying to avoid Sirius and James, getting more and more nervous at each step. He really hoped they would not pull a prank on him on the first night.

He stopped in front of the large portarian of a Fat Lady.

“Password?” she asked.

Great, he forgot that now he needed a password.

“Oh come one, you have been letting me in with no problem since yesterday,” he pleaded. The Fat Lady just stared at him.

“Bumpkin,” a familiar voice behind him said. Harry looked over his shoulder and saw Lily with a couple of other girls.

“I’m a Prefect,” Lily explained smiling at him. “You sprinted off so quickly that I didn’t have a chance to give you the password.”

The portrait moved and both of them climbed through the hole into the room filled with many chairs and the crackling fire in a corner.

“Professor McGonagall asked me to keep an eye on you,” she started. “Breakfast starts at seven and the first class is at nine-thirty, lunch goes from one until two. Let me know if you need any help, I remember it took me ages to remember when the things were. Those stairs are a nightmare!”

Lily looked over Harry’s shoulder and slightly tensed..

“Hi Lily, how was your summer?” James approached her.

Remus shook his head and walked away, followed by Pettigrew. The girl graced James with a short ‘good’ and vanished upstairs.

“Smooth,” commented Sirius.

“I think you are doing well,” injected Harry. He decided that it might be a good idea to help James to woo his mum. He was rather fond of his own existence. James looked at him not knowing whether Harry was genuinely nice or trying to insult him.

“Are you guys done staring at each other? Let’s go upstairs” said Sirius and left.

James looked at Harry and made a ‘come’ movement with his head . Both of them followed Sirius.

He stepped into their shared bedroom and looked awkwardly at the other boys.

“So....”

“So..” answered James.

Remus rolled his eyes and approached Hary.

“I’m afraid they are hopeless idiots,” he started. “Also, don’t worry if you snore. You can’t be worse than Peter. I’m Remus Lupin.” 

Harry shook his hand.

“This is Peter Pettigrew,” Peter nodded at Harry. “And the two tossers there are James Potter,” James wrinkled his nose. “And Sirius Black.” Sirius smiled.

“I take it’s your bed?” Peter pointed at the bed with Harry’s clothes.

“Yeah, I came yesterday. I had to meet with the Headmaster about my N. E.W.T.S"

The boys started unpacking their trunks, not talking much besides the occasional ‘how was your summer?’. Remus took the bed next to the bathroom.

“I need to warn you, I get ill quite frequently, best if I’m closest to the bathroom” Remus explained.

Sirius took the bed between Harry and James. Harry noted that he had much fewer things than other friends.

“Are you sure you are not a Potter?” James asked suddenly.

Harry shrugged. “Not like I would know.”

“Yeah, I’ve never met you before, and mum loves to drag dad and I to see the family,” said James.

“Aunt Cecil makes a great sponge!” added Sirius.

“Only you think that. I’m tired of that damn thing. I still can’t believe you told her it was my favourite” complained James

Sirius grinned.

“You are probably a cousin, I have like 50 of them,” said Sirius, turning to Harry.

“Well, I’m better looking anyway,” said James. 

“The only Black in your family is your uncle’s wife. You can’t claim the Black good looks!” started Sirius.

“Yeah, because I want to look like an inbred wanker,” rebutted James. “No, thank you.”

“Aren’t all pureblood families inbred?” asked Harry innocently.

Before James and Sirius were able to answer, Remus decided to take the bait.

“In Sirius’ case the family tree is not a tree but rather an interesting circle,” he said.

Sirius threw a pillow at him while James, Peter and Harry laughed.

***

The nice weather lasted until the next day. Harry woke up first, knowing well that he would probably fall last in line to the bathroom if he didn’t. Glad to be in one piece so far, he left his bed, carefully placing the first steps - _his_ Sirius told him about the few pranks that he and James pulled on Peter at night. Harry stepped into the shower, the hot water felt nice on his half asleep body. While the previous day could have been better, he was glad that at least Remus, Lily, James, Sirius, and surprisingly Peter, seemed to accept him. Refreshed Harry grabbed his school bag with the orb and made his way to the Great Hall where he was joined by Lily.

“Still alive I see,” said Lily, playing with her fork. 

“Galbreth will be happy.” added the girl with pigtails that Harry saw yesterday.

Harry chuckled and looked at the staff table, he really wanted to talk to Hagrid but needed to come up with a reason.

“That’s Hagrid, the Gatekeeper,” Aj sat next to Harry. “Cool dude, he knows loads about magical creatures.”

Harry nodded and started on his breakfast. The rest of his year slowly filled the table, as McGonagall was handing out the new course schedules. He was certainly looking for the free time between the lessons, after dropping so many subjects. Harry scanned the schedule.

“Nice, Herbology first, and then Care of Magical Creatures,” said James. “The whole morning outside.”

“I don’t even know why you bother with the subject Moony… OUCH!” Sirius reached down to his leg with Remus glaring at him.

“Oh, you have Muggle Music later,” said Peter looking at Sirius’ schedule.

“Muggle Music?” asked Harry. “Is that really a thing?”

“Yeah, I took it to piss off my parents, they hate muggles,” said Sirius, still massaging his leg. “I can’t sing or play anything for shit though.”

“Yep, Padfoot is taking up all the muggle classes out of pure spite,” confirmed James with a mischievous look. “But his parents kicked him out, so now he is stuck with the useless subjects”

“It’s a waste of time, no idea why you want to fit in with the muggles,” said Peter.

“You’d fit right in the Frog Choir,” said Sirius annoyed.

“Or Ghul Studies,” grinned James folding his schedule in half.

“I wish they offered Ghoul Studies, much better than some of the crap we already have,” said Aj. “At least Ancient Studies is still on the table.”

Harry looked at him interested.

“Have you done it before? I signed up.”

“My family is from Varanasi so I know a bit,” confirmed Aj, getting himself a huge portion of baked beans. “Obviously not as much if I was in Africa. Did you know that they don’t even use wands there? I tried a bit of wandless magic but that shit is hard.”

Harry remembered vanishing the glass in his first year and blowing Aunt Marge.

“Dad said Dumbledore needs to be careful,” said James. “The ministry doesn’t want wizards to learn more about wandless magic, it makes it harder to monitor them”

“Are you taking it too?” asked Harry.

“Nope, dad tested me a long time ago,” said James putting an apple in his pocket. “I literally have none. There was a Potter who could set trees on fire but it was a long time ago. She didn’t end up well anyway, apparently burned down the house, which blew up a few potions. Not much was left of her..”

They were interrupted by the noise of many fluttering wings, the post arrived. Harry felt a slight tinge thinking about Hedwig, a large owl dropped a small parcel next to Peter, he also saw Lily receive a letter. Five owls with heavy books landed in front of Harry, he quickly grabbed the parcels and put them in his bag.

“So… Herbology first, where is it?” asked Harry.

“I’ll show you,” offered Lily. James stood up.

“I’ll come with you too, I’m done with breakfast,” he said. Lily looked at him questionably. “What? I like helping others!”

He saw Sirius raise his eyebrow but he didn’t say anything. Harry went with Lily, followed by James.

“I was made the Quidditch Captain this year,” started James once they left the castle.

“I know,” said Lily.

“We might finally be able to win against Puffs, they no longer have their Keeper...”

“Not with Irene,” interrupted Lily. Harry was listening carefully, did his mum like Quidditch?

“Nah. Like I said, she and Buttigieg need to go. Sinead only kept them because they were friends”

Lily looked at James when they were going down the slope.

“Are you really going to get rid of them?” she asked.

“Well, I can have them on the team, can I?” continued James. “If we are to win I need good players, not just people who are friends of a friend. We will all do try-outs next week.”

“I think that’s a good idea,” nodded Lily.

James beamed at her. They entered the Sixth Year Greenhouse and were shortly joined by a few other students. A familiar face scowled at Harry from the back.

Snape.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back to infrequent updates :)


End file.
